Riverside Early YearsOfsted inspection, 16 May 2013

Riverside Early Years Seascout Headquarters, Witham Bank East, Boston, Lincs, PE21 9JU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/05/2013 24/11/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Staff have developed close relationships with children, which means that they feel safe and secure. Children play and learn together happily and their behaviour is good.  Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of how children learn. Planning of activities ensures children access a broad range of experiences based on their interests. Effective teaching methods enable staff to challenge and extend children's learning.  The partnership with parents and outside agencies is effectively managed as staff are skilled in sharing relevant information, ensuring that children's needs are met.

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It is not yet good because

 There is scope to improve how the information gathered from parents at the start of children's placements is used to inform tracking of children's progress more effectively.  The environment is not rich in text, signs and symbols both in English and other languages. As a consequence children do not have many meaningful examples to copy or inspire them to develop their early reading and writing skills.  Routine activities, such as snack time are not always used effectively to extend learning and encourage children's health and self-care skills.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children's activities in the main playroom, dining room and outdoor area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with members of the management team and spoke at appropriate times to staff throughout the sessions.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of staff working within the setting and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Riverside Early Years was registered in 2003 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from The Sea Scout Headquarters in Boston, Lincolnshire. The setting serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The setting employs 10 members of childcare staff. Of these, five hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The setting opens Monday to Friday all year round from 7am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 76 children attending who are within the early years age group. The setting provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 enhance existing systems to better monitor and track children's progress by further developing how initial information gathered from parents is used to inform this process

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 create an environment rich in print where children can learn about words, for example, by displaying signs, posters and names in both English and relevant languages

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 ensure staff fully utilise every opportunity during the daily routine to further extend children's learning and develop their independence with their health and self-care skills.

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who attend

Staff organise the setting well and ensure children can easily access a broad range of toys and equipment, resulting in them being active and independent learners. Children explore both the indoor and outdoor environments with enthusiasm and enjoy their time in the setting. In general, teaching techniques are strong with clear modelling from the management team to guide and support newly qualified staff. They demonstrate how to skilfully question children to extend learning and encourage thinking skills. For example, after placing their hands in a puddle to make handprints staff ask, 'what else could we put in the water to make prints?'. During small story times children are kept motivated as they answer questions about what is happening in the story and why.

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who attend

Key person groups allow staff to form close bonds with their key children and ensure their individual learning needs are well targeted. Staff have a clear understanding of how children learn through play and plan interesting experiences based on children's interests. For example, children's comments about wanting to go to the moon, result in children working together to build a space rocket in the garden around the slide. Children's learning needs are assessed well through clear observations which link to the areas of learning and development. Tracking systems are in place to highlight the progress children are making and identify gaps in children's learning. However, there is scope to further improve these systems, as staff are not using the initial information gathered from parents about their children effectively so that children's progress can be more precisely tracked from the beginning. Thorough discussions with parents at collection time and shared daily

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who attend

activity sheets ensure parents are kept informed about their child's day. They are encouraged to share learning from home at this time which is used as part of the observation and assessment process.

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who attend

Older children enjoy some activities which support their early writing skills and they are encouraged to write their name on their work, supported well by staff who sound out the initial letter sounds. However, overall the environment is not rich in text, signs and symbols, including any which supports children of families who speak English as an additional language. This means that children have fewer opportunities to recognise familiar letters, learn about the sounds they make or make connections between objects and their names, to fully support their early reading skills. Children work together well and learn to problem solve in activities, such as working out the way the position of the pieces need to be when completing a jigsaw.

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who attend

Children benefit from quality time spent in the outdoor area, which is used well to support physical skills and encourages exploratory play. For example, children are provided with good challenge as they carefully balance along an obstacle course. They independently fetch their own water from the tap to make patterns on the ground with their watering cans or create puddles to jump in. Play such as this ensures children are well prepared for their next stage of development, for example, starting school.

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who attend

Children with special educational needs and those who require other additional support attend the setting and are well supported by experienced staff, who work closely with parents and outside agencies to help children learn and develop. Children's understanding of valuing and respecting others is supported through their play with suitable resources, such as books that promote their own culture and that of others.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

A key person system is effective in meeting children's needs as close attachments have formed between staff, children and their families. There is a clear appreciation for the diverse backgrounds of the children who attend the setting and close partnerships with parents have formed to support children's well-being. Children are confident within the setting and show clear familiarity with routines. For example, they help tidy away resources before lunch and independently wash their hands before sitting down to eat. Children help themselves to their snack and pour their own drinks. However, in general children have fewer opportunities to extend their learning and develop their self-care skills in routine activities, such as snack time. For example, opportunities to prepare the snack are inconsistent and opportunities to promote counting and problem-solving skills, are missed.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children behave appropriately for their age and through staff's calm and consistent approach learn to play co-operatively together. For example, when a child approaches the play dough table another child independently shares their dough with them and provides them with resources. Children's awareness of developing a healthy lifestyle is encouraged through being provided with healthy choices at snack and meal times. Meals are freshly prepared and provide a balanced diet. Children spend quality time in the fresh air, as outdoor play is accessible throughout the majority of the day and in all weathers due to a covered area. Staff provide children with a safe environment in which to learn and also encourage children to think about their own safety, for example, the action to take in the event of a fire.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

The setting provides before and after school care to several local schools and as a result effective relationships have been built. This ensures a smooth transition, as children are visited by their teachers in the setting prior to starting. Furthermore, structured physical education lessons have recently been introduced for the eldest children in preparation for their move to school.

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provision

The strong management team work closely together to provide a quality childcare provision for all. Staff have developed a clear understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the learning and development requirements and strive to provide all children with an effective and enjoyable learning experience. Staff are listened to and involved in decision making, as meetings are held each week to discuss planning, monitor practice and voice concerns and opinions. These meetings enable priorities for improvement to be quickly identified and strategies implemented. For example, the setting has recently joined an 'ethnic minorities in the community' group to enable them to consider how they can provide better support in the setting. Regular training is attended to improve knowledge, including most recently, 'story in a shoe box', which benefits the children's experiences. Management monitor staff performance formally through supervision meetings and

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provision

informally through observation of practice.

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provision

Staff have a robust understanding of how to protect children in their care. Arrangements for safeguarding children within the provision are good and also through secure partnerships with families and other agencies. Staff are deployed well to ensure the safety of children as they play and staff are good role models as they act appropriately in front of children at all times. Sufficient staff within the setting hold current paediatric first aid certificates to ensure minor injuries are dealt with effectively.

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provision

Staff are experienced in working with other professionals to support children's progress when attending the setting, which helps to provide a strong contribution to meeting children's individual needs. Positive relationships are in place with parents, with many families seeing several children through the setting. Parents speak in high regard about the setting and staff, commenting on the, 'fantastic staff and the close relationships formed'. Thorough daily communication with parents is effective in ensuring that children's changing needs are constantly met. Overall, the setting is organised well to create an interesting and stimulating environment in which children feel safe, secure and happy.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement action. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY252732 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 918627

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 76 Name of provider Pauline Anne Almond Date of previous inspection 24/11/2011 Telephone number 07974 702519

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Type of provision

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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